Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
BEAUTIFUL!!!!! i ADORED the arc that elphaba had, but with all books with unhappy endings, i felt so personally wronged by her injustices. it tore my heart in two, so thats how you know its good!!!! it also breaks my heart that so many people read it because of the musical, and to be fair i did as well, but i think so many people were pretty closed minded to it because it was vastly different from the musical/movie. it was definitely an odd read, but for me thats where it gets its charm. i think its coverage of uncomfortable subjects and themes left many people preturbed by it, expecting a watered-down, very on the nose political story with simple plot points, but i think where people got confused or bogged down by the length was kinda the point. just my opinion, but i also tend to be really open minded about things people generally accept as odd, and of course people should only read what suits them best!!!
interesting read but gets a little high and mighty with its own philosophizing.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
slow-paced
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I can see where the musical got its plot beats, but.... there's not much connection besides that. They have very little in common. In fact, the musical makes a few choices the novel actively mocks as options. That said, the book really grew on me. The beginning is gross to read, frankly, and I think that's partially on purpose but not entirely. But if you can stick through it and get to when they're in school, that was probably the best part, and it really charmed me. From there I think it's of pretty consistent quality. The writing is definitely cynical and the themes very political and existential. But I don't think it does a bad or inappropriate job at any of it. There's a lot of love for the Oz world here – I recognized references to things in the whole series, not just The Wizard of Oz – and while it takes some liberties for the tone and age demographic, the world felt very consistent and logical to me. The characters are all quite well developed too; it was a real choice to not give us any insight into Elphaba's perspective until she was an adult, but ultimately I think I liked it? Jury's still out there.
It's definitely a long read, and a commitment, and it has some questionable material, but ultimately if you can tolerate that I would recommend it. Rumors of an orgy are vastly overstated, by the way. But Elphaba and Glinda *are* gay.
It's definitely a long read, and a commitment, and it has some questionable material, but ultimately if you can tolerate that I would recommend it. Rumors of an orgy are vastly overstated, by the way. But Elphaba and Glinda *are* gay.
Tough to get through even as a ginormous Wicked/Wizard of Oz fan. Not as odd as people said it was but sooooooo long, definitely skimmed some parts.
LOVED! It was so weird and every page was full of the unexpected. I found myself somewhat appalled by the subject matter yet completely intrigued. The scene at the end of the first section where the main character, as a child, ends up in the beasts hands, was very powerful to me. There were many powerful and disturbing scenes, and I just couldn't put the book down! (I also read it well before its popularity, and was mildly disappointed when I saw the musical how much it was toned down.)
slow-paced